The IT Job Placement Program has been designed to give all graduate participants the skills necessary to find a great job in Canada, and to give many employer partners access to a pool of highly qualified IT graduates. This program provides an opportunity for recent Information Technology graduates to gain relevant and meaningful work experience. During or after the Gateways IT Job Placement Program, selected graduates are invited to work as interns or employees on IT projects of commercial potential, in cooperation with Gateways Recruiting and employer partners. Activities may include all aspects of the innovation or technology process including design, development, support, and management of hardware, software, multimedia, systems integration services, and more!

Potential interns will work under the direction of experienced IT firms on the cutting edge of industry. Interns work as employees of companies or universities that partner with us in our Hire a Graduate Program. Partners work in the fields of web design, animation, computer forensics, database management, computer security etc. Some of the titles may include: Artificial Intelligence Specialist, Computer Systems Manager, Operating Systems Programmer, Systems Software Developer, and Technical Support Representative, among others.

Internships start at any time throughout the year and are based upon the applicant's knowledge, TOEIC/TOEFL score, degree, and experience. We are presently accepting new applications. Please click here for our application form.

Our program consists of two phases: Phase one will focus on teaching Get An IT Job students the fundamentals of how to prepare for success on the job. During this first phase, we’ll cover six core specializations which will enable graduates to increase their communication abilities, their relational skills, and their ability to find that perfect job. The second phase also consists of six components, spread throughout the four-month program, which will help candidates find a great job. Each student will learn to build a strong and concise resume, to give a strong interview, and to succeed once they are in the workplace. During this program students might be recruited for a job internship/placement at a location anywhere in Canada. No problem! We are able to work with you in any location because of our virtual/internet school capabilities.

Benefits of Enrolling In Our IT Job Placement Program

• Our staff members are highly qualified and experienced English/ESL teachers, and placement/recruitment officers
• Many of our staff members are from foreign countries or have traveled to many places in the world, allowing us to understand cultural differences
• We offer job-site training and workplace transition help
• If a student finds a job internship or placement at another location, he/she can continue with our course through our virtual online school.
• We are a Canadian-owned company and understand Canadian culture

This course is divided into six sessions, each lasting almost 3 weeks, for a total of four months. Class schedules will have students learning for six hours per day, four days a week.

The four month session will cover the following topics:

Phase 1 – Preparing for Your IT Job

Session One: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Job Seekers

Guided by one of our experienced teachers, students will study and discuss Stephen Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and then practice the book’s effective principles in their job search.

These principles include:

1. Be Proactive. Here, Covey emphasizes the original sense of the term "proactive" as coined by Victor Frankl. You can either be proactive or reactive when it comes to how you respond to certain things. When you are reactive, you blame other people and circumstances for obstacles or problems. Being proactive means taking responsibility for every aspect of your life. Initiative and taking action will then follow.
2. Begin with the End In Mind. This chapter is about setting long-term goals based on "true north" principles. Covey recommends that people create a "personal vision statement" to document their view of their own vision and goals in life. He sees visualization as an important tool to develop this statement. He also discusses organizational vision statements, which he says are more effective if developed and supported by all members of an organization rather than a few.
3. Put First Things First. Covey presents a system for prioritizing work that helps people discover and focus on important goals instead of being driven by the urgent. He also shows how delegation is an important part of time management. Successful delegation of work to others, according to Covey, focuses on results and ways of measuring results that are agreed upon in advance by managers and employees, rather than just prescribed by managers as detailed work plans.
4. Think Win/Win describes an attitude that causes people to seek mutually beneficial solutions that satisfy both personal needs and the needs of other parties involved.
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood. Covey warns that if we give out advice before carefully trying to understand people and their situation our advice will most likely be rejected. Also, he says that talking solely about ourselves instead of listening to other’s needs, will hinder us from developing good working relationships.
6. Synergize describes a way of working in teams as follows: Apply effective problem solving. Apply collaborative decision making. Value differences. Build on varying strengths. Leverage creative collaboration. Embrace and leverage innovation. The book suggests that if people pursue team cooperation as a habit, the team will achieve far more than the combined efforts of the same people working on their own. "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
7. Sharpen the Saw focuses on balanced self-satisfaction or enjoyment. According to Covey, when people regularly engage in carefully selected recreational activities, they will become more productive in their work life.
   

Session Two: Canada's Culture

The Gateways Job Placement program will prepare graduates for their cultural experiences in the host country and the workplace by exploring the richness of Canadian culture. We will look at the history and traditions of our culture and how to effectively strategize in making a winning formula for success in the Canadian work force.

It's not enough to learn how to succeed in the workplace; it’s also necessary to learn to live within the community. Without success in life, people are less likely to achieve success at work.

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."
--Brian G. Dyson
President and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises, during his speech at the Georgia Tech 172nd Commencement Address, Sept. 6, 1996

Session Three: Building Relationships

Interns will work on skills needed to integrate themselves into an office setting. They will learn how to conduct small talk, and introduce themselves, in addition to learning about business customs in Canada. During this session, we will study the timeless book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and will apply the book’s powerful lessons to find success in work and life.

Six Ways to Make People Like You:

• "Become genuinely interested in other people."
• "Smile."
• "Remember that a man's name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language."
• "Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves."
• "Talk in the terms of the other man's interest."
• "Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely."
  

Session Four: Business Terms and Jargon

During this session, students will learn typical business language and jargon used in the workplace. Without correct understanding and effective use of proper business vocabulary today, employees will be at a huge disadvantage. Studies show that employees who have a higher level of vocabulary increase their chances of getting the better jobs. It’s important for all those involved in today’s workplace to be able to recognize these business terms and be able use them correctly in writing and conversation.

Session Five: Research Different IT Companies in Canada

Interns will go through a course that highlights the variety of IT work in Canada.  We will look at the various markets and the skills sets needed by each.  Interns will go on and determine the type of setting that best works for their particular type of skill and passion.

Session Six: IT Terms and Jargon

The average IT employee can spew computer speak at a dizzying rate of speed. The babble mystifies listeners and leaves the impression of superiority not helpfulness.  Remember when you didn’t know what “re-boot” meant? Big words and technical terms may sound impressive but they do little to improve communications and get the job done.

We all do it.  Every industry, specialty and even company has their own jargon and unique terms.  I could bore you to tears talking about COBRA, FTE’s, PEPM, PTO, and a slew of other terms and abbreviations.  Employers call the people they hire, employees, associates, team members, service specialists and baristas!  Locations get nicknames that become part of a culture.  At a start up we gave the cafeteria the grandiose name, Employee Dining Facility.  Everyone called it the EDF.

This session will cover the essentials of IT jargon and how to make headway.

Phase 2 – Finding Your IT Job

Session One: Effective Resume Writing

Interns will learn about functional and chronological resumes as well as the situations in which they are used. This session will include a section review of how to write a resume as well as the do's and don’ts of how to write a resume.

Session Two: Persuasive Cover Letter and Portfolio

A well written cover letter and an outstanding portfolio can help students stand out from the crowd. Students will learn how to write a persuasive cover letter and how to present their background effectively.

Session Three: Interview Practice

This session will introduce the students to Canadian-style interviews and different types of questions. We will learn about what employers expect from a potential employee during an interview. Each student will participate in “interview practice” followed by a feedback session.

Session Four: Customer Service

Students will learn how to relate effectively to business customers and practice language related to customer complaints and handling of complaints.

Session Five: Employment and Meetings

Students will practice the language and skills involved in managing meetings and participating in meetings in the business workplace.

Session Six: Culture in the workplace

Not only will students learn about culture in the work place, but they will gain experience in the multi-cultural aspect of offices in Canada. At the beginning of the IT Job Placement Program, Gateways Recruiting will start working with each student to find a suitable company and then arrange an interview for the student. During the program participants will have practiced their interview skills and, by the end of the program, they will have the chance to present themselves to a company.

After a successful interview students will begin their internship period, potentially followed by employment.